Traveling coil lifting gear



y 5, 1952 R. e. RUSSELL 2,595,707

TRAVELING COIL LIFTING GEAR Filed Jan. 16, 1950 I 2 Sl-IEETS-SI-1EET 1 Y8 26 I2 26 J;

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TRAVELING COIL LIFTING GEAR Filed Jan. 16, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2Patented May 6, 1952 UNITED STATES TRAVELING COIL LIFTING GEAR RobertGordon Russell, Shefiield, England, assignor to Davy and UnitedEngineering Company Limited, Sheffield, England Application January 16,1950, Serial No. 138,723 In Great Britain January 21, 1949 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in travelling coil lifting gear.The usual disposition of such gear is in an open pit in the mill floor,so that the coil is approximately atground level, the lifting andtravelling gear being below ground level, and a hand-rail is providedaround the edge of the pit for the safety of personnel. While this is aneifective safety measure in that it protects the operators from beingtrapped and injured by the mechanism, it prevents access to thetravelling and lifting gear. It is an object of the invention to providemeans whereby access may be had all round the mechanism while yetmaintaining adequate safety measures.

According to the present invention a travelling coil lifting gearcomprises a vertically movable cradle, mounted on a carriage movablehorizontally in a pit and arranged to support a coil at substantiallyfloor level, wherein the pit is covered by a false floor having twoparallel slots therein extending in the direction of the horizontaltravel of the cradle, and the cradle is supported by two arms passingthrough the slots and movable vertically or horizontally therein.

The cradle may be provided with controlling mechanism located betweenthe arms, and the false floor may be formed with a third slot betweenand parallel with the other two slots to permit the passage of saidcontrolling mechanism.

One embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a diagrammatic end elevation, partly sectioned, of a liftinggear located in a pit in the mill floor, and

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic side elevation, partly sectioned, of thelifting gear.

Referring to the drawings, the cradle I is supported by two Verticalparallel plates II constituting arms, the lower ends of which are unitedby a cross-member I2 secured to the upper end of a vertical hydraulicram I3 located in a cylinder I4 mounted on a carriage I5. The carriageI5 is provided with wheels I6 running in guides I! located horizontallyalong the pit I8 near the bottom thereof, and has a dependent arm I9coupled to the piston rod 20 of a horizontal hydraulic ram 2| locatedbelow the guides I'I, whereby the carriage I5 and cradle I0 are movableacross the pit I8. In the lowest position of the vertical ram I3 thecradle I0 is just below the level of the mill floor 22.

Extending across the mouth of the pit I8 is a false floor formed of twosteel plates 23 laid alongside the supporting arms II of the cradle I0at a level just below that of the cradle when it is in its lowestposition. The mill floor is formed with a depression 24, the margin ofwhich supports the outer edges of the plates 23, while their inner edgesare supported by joists 25, which in turn are supported by brackets 26extending up the walls of the pit I8. Between the arms II of the cradleI0, there extend joists 21 the upper flanges of which are at the samelevel as the steel plates 23 and constitute part of the floor and liebetween the adjacent edges of the steel plates 23. The joists 2! aresupported at the ends of the pit I8 by brackets 28 secured to the joists25. The floor so formed extends over the entire mouth of the pit I8,except for the two parallel side slots formed by the gaps between thejoists 27 and the plates 23, and the central slot between the joists 21.

While this floor allows free access to the cradle ID from all sides, itdoes not interfere either with its vertical movement or with itshorizontal movement, the slots giving passage to the two plate-likesupporting arms II of the cradle, as well as to a link 29 extendingdownwardly to the carriage I 5, and forming part of a controllingmechanism for the cradle I0. In the event of such a controllingmechanism not being provided, the central slot is not required, and asingle joist, equal in width to the two joists 2i and the central slot,may be arranged to be supported on the brackets 28.

I claim:

A travelling coil lifting gear for location in a pit, comprising acradle, a carriage, vertical supporting means for said cradle on saidcarriage, means for moving the cradle vertically, guides serving tosupport the carriage during horizontal travel along the pit, means tomove said carriage horizontally, and a false floor for the pit havingtwo slots therein extending parallel with said guides, said slotsreceiving and permitting the passage of said supporting means duringvertical movement of the cradle and horizontal movement of the carriage,and spaced beams forming a third slot intermediate and parallel to saidtwo slots, and said third slot forming a passageway for said controllingmeans during vertical movement of said cradle and horizontal movement ofsaid carriage.

ROBERT GORDON RUSSELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,554,584 Lake Sept. 22', 19252,156,695 Klein May 2, 1939 2,262,118 Sieger Nov. 11, 1941 2,418,091Pandoif Mar. 25, 1947

